Mirror
by J.J. Smith
Summary: DISCONTINUED Glee AU where about 9 out of 10 people have a super power. This is the story of Quinn and her power. Companion piece to Strings


**Title: **Mirror**  
>Author: <strong>J.J. Smith (Mobyluv on Tumblr)**  
>Beta: <strong>my lovely Dalek sister (Hikari-chu on Tumblr)**  
>Rating: <strong>T **  
>Pairing: <strong>Faberry**  
>Genre: <strong>Supernatural/Tragedy**  
>Warning: <strong>Mentions of character deaths.**  
>Spoilers: <strong>AU from the end of season two mostly, some references to season three.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>Not mine, or Glee would have more continuity and a lot more Dave.**  
>Summary: <strong>This story takes place in a world where roughly 9 out of 10 people have some superpower. It's a company piece to Strings, but I don't think you need to have read that for this. This is Quinn's story about her power.  
><strong>AN: **Please make sure you read the warning. This is not a fluffy happy fic about Quinn and Rachel. If that's what you want I suggest you turn back now. If you like a bit of tragedy, please continue.

**Chapter one**

Summer had been pretty uneventful for Quinn Fabray. A little over a year ago, she'd given up her daughter and her life was finally falling into place again. She'd spent a year trying to be the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect girlfriend. She realized now that she'd been lying to herself. This year, her final year of high school, was going to be her year. Her chance to get it right.

She'd make something of herself this year. Something she herself wanted to be. For the first time she'd live just for herself.

"Quinn, breakfast is ready." Her mother yelled from downstairs.

"Coming, mom!" Quinn stopped in front of the mirror. She twirled her short hair in her fingers. She'd always worn her hair long, until Santana suggested that she'd cut it. It looked good; it made her feel pretty. She looked herself in the eyes, prepared to tell herself what she told herself every morning – _ You're a beautiful girl. This is your year. Nothing and no one is going to stand in your way_ – when her room disappeared around her.

_There was a woman, an old woman. She was lying in a hospital bed. Machines beeped next to her. Her breathing was labored. Quinn recognized her. It was her. An older her. She was all alone in a hospital room, dying. There was one last breath._

Quinn was back in her room. She ignored what had just happened. It had felt so real, but it couldn't have been. It was just her imagination.

She went downstairs to have breakfast with her mom. It was something so simple but it had become routine for them.

"Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." Quinn met her mother's eyes.

_She saw her mother. The woman looked a few years older than she was today. She was on a plane. People were screaming. Quinn noticed the plane wasn't flying; it was falling. Smoke filled the cabin they were in. There was a loud bang as the plane crashed into the ground._

"Do you have any plans for today?" Her mother asked as if nothing had happened. Quinn supposed that for her nothing had. "School starts in a few days so you'd better enjoy your freedom now."

Quinn couldn't shake this second time off as easily. She almost believed that it wasn't her imagination. To be quite truthful, she knew it wasn't but it was too scary to think about that.

"I… eh... I was going to look something up on the Internet. And I was thinking about going for a walk later, the weather's so nice."

"We've certainly been blessed with this weather."

"Eh, I don't feel so good. Is it okay if I skip breakfast?" Quinn couldn't get the image of her mother dying out of her head. Every time she saw the woman she relived it. It wasn't as vivid as the first time. It didn't feel as if she was at the scene but the image was burned into her mind.

"Sure. Take it easy, okay; I don't want you to become ill." Her mother looked concerned.

"Thanks." Quinn quickly went back upstairs and turned on her computer. A quick Google search got her to the website she was looking for. _Seeing people's deaths._ Browsing through the site she confirmed her worst fear. She'd received her power. She could see people's death when she made eye contact for the first time.

Things changed after that. Quinn tested her power out on a few random strangers she saw on the streets. It was terrifying. Quinn would start school again soon and she'd see her friends again. She'd see their deaths. She needed an excuse to stay away from her friends, to avoid all eye contact. The solutions lay in a small group of girls, the outcasts among outcasts, the Skanks. In one day, Quinn changed everything about herself. She bought new clothes, got a tattoo and dyed her hair pink. If that didn't get people to keep their distance, she didn't know what would. She also purchased sunglasses and created one more defense from her friends; she started smoking. If her looks didn't scare them away, then it would surely be the poisonous cloud of smoke she'd blow in their direction. A few strategically placed announcements on Facebook later and she was sure everyone knew to leave her alone.

Monday came and, sure enough, Quinn was left alone. People moved aside as she passed through the hallways. Her friends avoided all contact with her; Quinn couldn't be more grateful.

When she went outside for a smoke, however, that changed. She passed the field the cheerios were practicing on and was seen by Santana. She didn't mean to but it was instinct. She looked into Santana's eyes.

_Devil in a red dress, nothing described Santana better. She looked like she was in her thirties. It was some sort of fancy gala. People from all kinds of ethnicities surrounded them. Santana was talking to an older Asian gentleman, sipping her drink. She looked sick, a light sheen of sweat covering her forehead. It didn't stop her from flirting. Not until she dropped to the floor._

"Quinn, look, this is our senior year and, frankly, being on the cheerios isn't the same without you." Santana said.

Quinn said the first thing she could think of, her mind still trying to get used to the fact she just saw one of her best friends die. "You guys are such suckers for going back to coach Sylvester."

"Come on, sweetheart, this is for us. We can win two national championships this year. We joined the cheerios together, we joined glee club together. We all slept with Puckerman the same year. We're like besties for life."

"Yeah, come on, Quinn, you know we used to be like the three musketeers. Now Santana and I are like almond joy and you're like a jolly rancher that fell in the ash tray." It was hard not to look Brittany in the eyes. It was such a normal thing to do. Make eye contact with someone when you talk with them. Somehow Quinn managed. She couldn't handle seeing her two best friends die. One was definitely more than enough.

She continued with the act she was putting on. "You guys never understood the pressure I was under. It sucked. I'm not interested in the boys or the make-up or the polyester outfits." Only one part of what she said was actually true. She liked the make-up and even the polyester outfits were nice. The boys, however, was something else altogether. She was done with them. Realizing her preference lay with women, and in particular one Rachel Berry, had been a shock but she'd accepted it now. It was just one more thing to help her push people away even if she wasn't quite ready to say it out loud yet.

"Look, I've got a bar of soap and a bottle of peroxide with your name on it in my locker. Come on, Quinn, you can't break up the unholy trinity." Santana's offer sounded so tempting. Quinn wanted nothing more than to go back to her friends. She wanted to be on the cheerios with them. She couldn't; the pain was too much. The only way out she could see was to distance herself from them.

"People grow apart, deal with it. I've got new friends now and they accept me for who I am." Quinn left them behind before they could say more. She knew she was close to breaking. She joined her new 'friends'. She'd be safe there. She didn't care about them. She'd seen them die and while it was horrible to see it didn't really bother her. The cigarette already felt familiar. The smoke filling her longs was almost comforting.

"Hey, Quinn. Hello, skanks." Rachel's voice sounded shaky, nervous.

"Your friend stinks of soap, Quinn." Ronnie said.

"We were friends once." Rachel began.

Those words warmed Quinn. She looked up.

_The room was cozy. A big bed filled most of it. Two women, both old, were sleeping in it. Quinn recognized Rachel immediately, her nose still one of her most prominent features. The woman she saw next to Rachel surprised her. That was her! She was next to Rachel Berry. It didn't last long. Rachel was peaceful. She simply stopped breathing._

Rachel kept going on but Quinn couldn't really pay attention to it. She was going to grow old with Rachel Berry. Saying it was a dream come true was cheesy but it was so true. At the same time, it was scary. Too scary to act on now.

Quinn interrupted Rachel, she couldn't bear to hear that kind voice any longer. "I'm not coming back to Glee club."

"We need you. Okay, have you seen those purple pianos around school? We're planning this big, you know, recruiting number. It's going to be a tribute to the Go-Go's. I mean, who doesn't love the Go-Go's?"

"I prefer The Bangles." Sheila interrupted.

"Okay." Rachel was clearly intimidated by the Skanks but that didn't stop her.

Quinn could hardly focus on what Rachel was saying. Her voice was soft and she spoke with such compassion.

One of her new 'friends' spoke and got Quinn out of her stupor. "I'll give you ten bucks if you let me beat her up for you, Quinn."

"I'm sorry you're so sad, Quinn. Maybe you're not going to believe me because we were never really close but I'm sad not seeing you in the choir room. And we've all been through so much together that we're a family. This is our year to get it right. We would love to have you back in the glee club. Whenever you're ready. Okay?" Rachel sounded so sincere it almost hurt Quinn. She wanted to go with her so badly but she couldn't. It would hurt too much. Quinn let Rachel leave without saying another word.


End file.
